Creatine

Creatine, which is used as a body building and training supplement, builds myths as well as muscles - ScienceNordic

Creatine
Creatine

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Creatine: Myths and facts

Even if you’re not a weight lifter, you’ve undoubtedly heard of creatine, one of the most researched supplements in history. It’s a combination of amino acids produced by the liver, kidney, and pancreas. Creatine is not a steroid—it’s naturally found in muscle and in red meat and fish, though at far lower levels than in the powder form sold on bodybuilding websites and at your local GNC.

How does it work? 
Creatine reduces fatigue by transporting extra energy into your cells, says Dr. Ari Levy, who works with patients at the Program for Personalized Health and Prevention at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is the compound your…

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 Creatine: Myths and facts

Even if you’re not a weight lifter, you’ve undoubtedly heard of creatine, one of the most researched supplements in history. It’s a combination of amino acids produced by the liver, kidney, and pancreas. Creatine is not a steroid—it’s naturally found in muscle and in red meat and fish, though at far lower levels than in the powder form sold on bodybuilding websites and at your local GNC.

Top 10 Creatine Supplements

LabDoor analyzed 25 best-selling creatine supplements in the United States. Our analysis quantified levels of total creatine and creatinine, and recorded presence/absence data for 35 inactive ingredients.

Drugs.com

Creatine has been used in alternative medicine as a possibly effective aid for enhancing athletic performance, and for increasing muscle strength in people with heart failure, muscular dystrophy, and McArdle's disease (a genetic disorder). It may also be possibly effective in treating Parkinson's disease, and gyrate atrophy (a genetic eye disorder that affects the retina and causes vision loss). Creatine has also been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, or Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). However, research has shown that it may not be effective in treating these conditions.

MayoClinic

Creatine supplementation became popular in the 1990s for enhancing athletic performance and building lean body mass. It has also been used in the treatment of chronic heart failure and mitochondrial disorders. Overall, creatine appears to have modest benefits for intense, repetitive exercise lasting less than 30 seconds. It does not appear to have significant benefits on endurance aerobic exercise. Caffeine may counteract the benefit of creatine on intermittent exercise performance. Furthermore, creatine in combination with caffeine and ephedra may have adverse effects. However, more research is needed in this area to confirm these interactions.

MedicineNet

There is some scientific evidence that creatine can improve the athletic performance of young, healthy people during brief, high-intensity exercise such as sprinting. But it does not seem to help older people or highly trained athletes. It also does not help performance in aerobic or isometric exercise. Creatine also seems to increase strength and endurance in patients with heart failure and in people with various muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy and similar conditions. Some people try creatine for rheumatoid arthritis. But creatine does not seem to help for this use. There isn't enough information to know if creatine is effective for other conditions people use it for, including: high cholesterol and conditions such as ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease.

MedlinePlus

Creatine is most commonly used for improving exercise performance and increasing muscle mass in athletes and older adults. There is some science supporting the use of creatine in improving the athletic performance of young, healthy people during brief high-intensity activity such as sprinting. But older adults don’t seem to benefit. Creatine doesn’t seem to improve strength or body composition in people over 60.

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